Killdeer Bird

Description:

Brown plover bird with white breast and two black stripes on neck. There's a white ring that goes all around the neck. It has big red eyes. It was nice to see one away from the beach! This species qualifies for Wildlife with Innovative Defenses (see notes).

Habitat:

Park at Lake Poway. "The range of the Killdeer spreads across the Western Hemisphere. In the summer, Killdeer live as far north as the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, the Yukon, Quebec, as well as the southern parts of the U.S. state of Alaska. Killdeer hold a year-round presence across the southern half of the United States and parts of Peru. The Killdeer winters throughout Central America. Although Killdeer are considered shorebirds, they often live far from water. They live in grassland habitats such as fields, meadows, and pastures." - Wikipedia

Notes:

"These birds will frequently use a distraction display ("broken-wing act") to distract predators from their nests. This involves the bird walking away from its nesting area holding its wing in a position that simulates an injury and then flapping around on the ground emitting a distress call. The predators then think they have easy prey and are attracted to this seemingly injured bird and away from the nest. If the parent sees that a potential predator is not following them, they will move closer and get louder until they get the attention of the predator. This is repeated until the predator is far from the nest, and the killdeer suddenly "heals" and flies away. These birds forage for food in fields, mudflats, and shores, usually by sight. They mainly eat insects." - Wikipedia